Making Up for Lost Time Lyatt1941
Notes:
This was meant to be shared a little later this month, but I feel like we need some fluff today, so I'm posting it now.
I hope you enjoy this FLUFFY piece and I'm telling you right now, it's ALL FLUFF...like COTTON CANDY FLUFF. So grab your insulin and be prepared for a sugar overload.
Thanks for reading and please, if you are so inclined, leave a review. I love to hear from readers!
Nowhere to go but down, right?
Right.
Lucy frowned slightly as the memory of those words seemed to hang in the morning light that was filtering in through the dingy skylight above their joined bed in the rusty bedroom of the bunker. She was wrapped securely in Wyatt's arms, listening now to his deep, steady breaths, indicating that he was still fast asleep.
She had no idea how she had come to find herself so incredibly lucky to have someone like Wyatt Logan…someone who had admittedly given up on love….to somehow find something in her worth being open to possibilities for.
She had thought for a few horrible months that she had lost him forever. Her broken heart had left her feeling beaten down and worn. Rittenhouse had won…she had lost…and what a loss. To lose the one person in her life that had been her source of strength and stability, the one she trusted above all else, the man she had given her heart to…
But she hadn't lost him.
Not really.
It had hurt like hell when Wyatt had chosen Jessica…but, what else could he do? She was his wife. Even if Wyatt had told Lucy then that he wanted to choose her…what would she have said? Would she have even believed it?
Probably not. No one had ever really chosen her before.
Not Michael Garrison during her Senior Prom, not the Stanford History Department when she was up for tenure…Her mother hadn't even chosen her. All of those years she had groomed Lucy, pushed her to follow in her footsteps, embrace her legacy…and it had all been for Rittenhouse. In the end, it was still about Rittenhouse. Her dying words were those of regret, not for the pain she had caused her (now) only daughter, but that she hadn't given her a more thorough education in her birthright.
The mother she had idolized for years, the woman to whom she felt she could never quite measure up, had been nothing more than a tyrant. She had kidnapped Lucy, stood by while Emma forced her to murder an innocent man, and had even sent her to the gallows after accusing her of witchcraft.
She had hardly been mother of the year.
The worst of her sins, however, involved one Jessica Logan. Bringing back Wyatt's dead wife from the grave, recruiting her, corrupting her, turning her into a Rittenhouse sycophant? Rittenhouse knew that Jessica was Wyatt's Achilles' heel and they used it to their advantage. It took a text message…one text message to send him running. His guilt, six years strong, had propelled him out of the bunker and back into his cunning wife's waiting arms.
And what did Lucy do?
She stood aside and let it happen, believing that once again, she was overlooked and brushed aside for someone or something better. Even though she knew Rittenhouse had been behind Jessica's return, she stepped aside…not wanting to come between Wyatt and the woman he had mourned for so long. Now as she lay here, listening to the steady beating of his heart, she saw it…the pain in his eyes every time he looked at her, the conflict brewing just beneath the surface, the way he always tried to talk to her, to be near her…and time and time again she pushed him away…back to Jessica. She suspected that Rittenhouse had a reason for bringing her back…but she naively believed it was just to punish her for turning her back on her birthright. She never dreamed that they would stoop so low as to use Jessica not only as a means to separate her from Wyatt, but also as a tool to shatter their team, their family.
And so, they had…for a little while, anyway.
"I can hear you thinking." Wyatt murmured into her hair. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong." Lucy muttered sheepishly as she placed her chin on his chest and looked up at a bleary-eyed Wyatt.
"Liar." Wyatt said with a slight frown. "I know you, Lucy Preston…you can't fool me. What's wrong?"
Nothing was wrong. Everything was just as it should be. Wyatt had told her, after everything, that he had wanted to choose her…not Jessica, that he was just trying to do the right thing…that he had loved her for so long, but could never bring himself to admit it. Lucy had wondered vaguely if she had known the depth of Wyatt's feelings whether she would have fought more for him…for them…instead of pushing him away.
Her continued silence caused Wyatt to inch himself up into a sitting position, a look of concern on his face, "Lucy…" he began, "are you…are you having regrets?"
"Yes." Lucy admitted smirking sadly at the look of sheer dread on Wyatt's face. Not wanting to torture him unnecessarily, Lucy added, "But not about this." She pressed a soft kiss to his lips which he returned vigorously.
Pulling away from her reluctantly, Wyatt studied her face as he whispered, "Okay…if you're not having regrets about this, then what's going on in that brain of yours?"
Lucy smiled at him sheepishly as she averted her eyes from his searching gaze, "I was just thinking about…everything...and how I wish things could have gone a little differently…that's all."
Frowning slightly, Wyatt continued to look at Lucy, his brow creased in thought as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "Yeah…I have those regrets too." She nuzzled back into his embrace resting her head underneath his chin. "But Lucy…it just makes me appreciate what we have, all the more."
She smiled against his chest and murmured, "Me too."
Hating to disrupt the simple and happy pleasure of lying next to Lucy in bed, but realizing that as it was Christmas morning and their last day in the bunker they were going to have to get a move on at some point, Wyatt begrudgingly shifted himself out of the bed, smiling as Lucy groaned in displeasure when he did so. Once up, he began searching through one of the many cubby holes in the wall until finally he pulled out a small present, beautifully and meticulously wrapped. "Merry Christmas." he murmured as he handed it to her.
Lucy stared back at him in surprise, "How did…don't tell me you went shopping in North Korea when I wasn't looking."
"No." Wyatt said with a chuckle as he flushed slightly, "I picked that up in Hollywoodland...after…" he cleared his throat, "While you were stealing that other dress that morning, I lifted this from the prop department and hung on to it." He shrugged, "I figure we steal cars and clothes all the time…why not this?"
Her curiosity piqued, Lucy ripped off the wrappings and opened the small box finding a beautiful, delicate and vintage ornament. "Oh Wyatt." She gasped, "I didn't get you anything."
"It's fine." Wyatt said as he pressed a sweet kiss to her forehead. "I have everything I need"
Standing in the now nearly empty room that was once theirs…albeit only for 48 hours…Lucy tightened her grip on the small bag Agent Christopher had procured for her so she could more easily move what little belongings she had, out of the bunker. A few stolen articles of clothing along with a few things Agent Christopher had bought for her were all that she had in the form of attire. The other items in her bag included a few books and the beautiful ornament Wyatt had stolen for her in 1941.
Still blown away by his thoughtful gesture, she was determined to do something just as wonderful for him, but first…they needed to find a new place to live.
"You ready?" Wyatt's voice called from behind her.
As she considered that question, she looked around this room that held so much pain and happiness. Before it was their room….it had been theirroom…his and Jessica's. Wyatt was right when he said that everything that had happened, only served to make him appreciate what they had more. Looking around this bunker, remembering all the lost moments, the heartbreaking distance between them…it could have been seen as a heavy cloud overshadowing their new start…but somehow it wasn't. Somehow, to her, it was proof of just how strong they were…after everything that had worked to tear them apart, they still found their way back to each other and now, they were leaving this bunker and the painful memories it held for them…together.
Turning and smiling at Wyatt, Lucy answered, "Yeah…let's go."
It wasn't until they climbed into the backseat of the Homeland Security vehicle Agent Christopher had procured to usher them off the premises, that Lucy realized they really didn't have any place to go.
Before the bunker, Lucy had lived with her mother…but currently that home was being raided by federal agents, sorting through all of her mother's documents in an attempt to track down any more Rittenhouse assets and holdings. Wyatt's apartment had been long since turned over to a new lease…seeing that he was believed to be dead after the explosion at Mason.
They were homeless.
With that knowledge, Lucy was taken aback when Wyatt immediately gave the driver an address when asked where they would be going. Staring at Wyatt as he sat back into the seat, smirking, Lucy stammered, "Wh…where is he taking us?"
Still smirking, Wyatt reached over and buckled Lucy's seatbelt, "You'll see…ma'am."
Despite knowing that as a Delta Force operative, Wyatt had been trained to withstand all types of interrogation methods, it did not prevent her from the sending a barrage of questions his way as they made their way into the city. No amount of nagging or cleverly worded observations, however, could break down Wyatt's defenses.
Once they arrived at the given address, Lucy was even more confused. She sat frozen in her seat while Wyatt shook the hand of the driver and leapt out of the Tahoe to collect their bags. When she didn't immediately follow him out onto the curb, Wyatt reached in and unbuckled Lucy's safety belt with a flourish, teasing her as he did so, "You just push the red button, Lucy."
Glaring at him as he smirked at her, she slowly slid out of the SUV and looked around her, questioning him, "Wyatt…why are we at the Pier?"
Winking at her, Wyatt waved to the Homeland Security officer as he drove away and then began to make his way up the block, motioning for Lucy to follow him. Huffing in frustration now, Lucy trailed behind him wondering what on Earth he had up his sleeve. When Wyatt finally did stop, he did so in front of a rental car office and before Lucy knew what was happening, he loaded their bags into another SUV and opened the passenger door ushering her in. Lucy, however, refused to move. "I'm not getting in that thing until you tell me where we're going." she demanded as she crossed her arms over her chest.
Wyatt rolled his eyes at her stubbornness and waved motioned her to get in the car, "It's a surprise." he explained.
"Could you be any more mysterious?" she asked with a defeated scowl.
He smiled at her and for one half moment she thought she had broken him. He walked over to her and held her hands, tugging her forward with a look that made her go weak in the knees, "Lucy," he whispered, "trust me."
Relenting, Lucy made her way into the rented SUV and had to hold back a laugh as Wyatt once again, reached over and secured her seatbelt. After punching in an address on his phone, he gave her a playful glare when he caught her trying to look, "It's a surprise, Lucy" he admonished, "no peeking."
Disappointed, Lucy settled back in her seat, mumbling under her breath that Wyatt was being "ridiculous," but whether he heard her or not, he gave no indication. After making a few turns, they were on the Interstate headed East, driving off together to a place only Wyatt knew.
And they drove.
And drove.
And drove.
Lucy decided that she must have fallen asleep at some point, because instead of rolling hills and farmland, she suddenly opened up her eyes to find snowcapped mountains and tall pines. She noted that the radio was playing softly, probably so it wouldn't disturb her. That simple act of thoughtfulness tugged at her heart strings and she couldn't help but smile as he raised her tired eyes to Wyatt's profile.
He was looking like she had never seen him before. Since the moment they met, he had been plagued by guilt and regret; now, however, he looked relaxed, happy, and even though they had been on the road for nearly four hours (according to Lucy's watch), he didn't look the least bit tired. "Did you have a good nap?" he asked her, not taking his eyes off the road.
Lucy peered out of the window, wondering what Wyatt had up his sleeve. "I didn't realize I was so tired." she replied with a yawn. An idea suddenly sprung into her head and she asked, "Are you sure you don't need a break? Why don't you let me take over for a while?"
"Nice try, Lucy." Wyatt responded with a short laugh. "You're not looking at the GPS…besides, it doesn't matter anyway, we're almost there." He added as he pointed his finger out to the scenery beyond the windshield.
Immediately turning her head to look for some kind of familiar landmark, Lucy grinned broadly as she saw a large road sign. "Lake Tahoe? You're taking me to Lake Tahoe?"
"Us, babydoll…I'm taking us." Wyatt acknowledged proudly, "We deserve a damn vacation, don't you think?'
Lucy absolutely agreed. For almost two years they had worked round the clock, jumping through time at all hours of the day, risking their lives every time they stepped into that time machine, and had never gotten a chance to just relax. Lake Tahoe, even in the middle of winter, was the perfect getaway. It was within an easy driving distance, it was peaceful, beautiful, and best of all…it was romantic.
After driving through winding roads and up into the deeper woods, Wyatt finally pulled in front of a beautiful cabin. Jumping out of the SUV, Wyatt rushed over to Lucy's door and opened it for her, smiling at her proudly when she dramatically released her seatbelt while glaring at him playfully. "See, I knew you could do it." Wyatt remarked as she stepped out of the car.
Lucy shook her head at his teasing, smiling to herself as he wrapped an arm around her waist and walked with her up to the front door. The cabin, the location…everything was perfect and Lucy couldn't help but be amazed at what Wyatt had done. "How did you do this on Christmas day?" she asked in total wonder.
Wyatt shrugged, "Mason knows a guy…"
A thrill of excitement settled in Lucy's stomach as she suddenly realized this was the first time that they had done anything outside of the missions alone together. Wyatt must have realized that too, because no sooner had he unlocked the door than he wrapped his arms around Lucy and nearly devoured her with a kiss as he carried her over the threshold.
Completely wrapped up in one another, they blindly made their way inside, until finally they stumbled into a piece of furniture and broke apart. Giggling, at each other for being so punch drunk in love, it took them a few minutes to take in their magnificent surroundings. Spread out before them was a large sunken living room with a huge stone fireplace set in the corner with large, plush couches and armchairs situated in the room.
It was a far cry from the bunker.
This was cozy.
But what absolutely took their breath away was the expansive wall of glass in front of them that opened up, not only to a balcony, but to an incredible view of the lake itself, surrounded by frost tipped trees and far off mountains.
A far cry from the bunker, indeed.
"Wow." Lucy gasped out as slowly made her way to the window. "This…this is incredible, Wyatt." Her eyes danced across the mountain view and she realized just how much she missed just being able to do something as simple as look out of a window in the present. To go from an underground bunker, to this? It was almost overwhelming, "Thank you."
Wyatt approached her and wrapped his arms around her from behind, nestling his head next to hers and planting kisses along her neck and shoulder, "We deserve it. Youdeserve it." He rubbed her arms with his hands, "I hope you don't get tired of that view, because this place is ours for a whole month."
"A month?" Lucy exclaimed. "Wyatt…how?"
"Well, let's just say we both got a hell of a lot of back pay…and rather than investing it all, I decided that we might as well take a small chunk of it and take a vacation." Wyatt said with a shrug.
"Some vacation." Lucy breathed out in awe, hardly believing that they could take a break for so long after two years of always being on call. "But what if…"she began
Wyatt, however, shook his head and interrupted, "Don't even say it, Lucy. Besides," he stated as he pulled out his phone, "cell service suck up here, I already checked."
"Then it really is perfect." Lucy grinned as she nodded her head to the lake. "Though I don't know what we'll do up here for a whole month…it's a little too cold to swim."
"I think we can find other ways to amuse ourselves." Wyatt murmured against her lips.
It had been one week since they had left everything behind and taken up temporary residence in the mountains near Lake Tahoe, and that week had been one of the happiest weeks either of them had ever spent in their lives. Apart from the obvious advantages of spending time away in a cozy cabin together, there were other things that made this vacation more than memorable.
Lucy's lack of culinary skills became sadly apparent on the first night of their stay when she burned the leftover pizza they had picked up from the town below. Wyatt decided that since Lucy had taught him so much about history and anthropology in their two years together, the least he could do was teach her a few basic things in the kitchen.
It wasn't that no one had tried teaching Lucy how to cook before, she was just never very interested when both Amy and her mother were naturals in the kitchen. Instead of feeling like she was contributing to a family dinner, she always felt like she made a bigger mess than it was worth and her mother and Amy must have thought so too, because they never pressed the issue.
Wyatt, however, while full of gentle teases and plenty of snark, was also patient and encouraging. If Lucy made a mess of the omelet she was attempting to make, Wyatt would come up behind her, placing a gentle hand over hers on the spatula and walk her through the motions again. She mighthave faked a few of those messes just to get the remedial lesson, but if Wyatt knew, he didn't let on…or, as what was more likely the case, given the kisses he would pepper along her neck during such lessons, he didn't care.
While Wyatt taught Lucy a few basic skills around the kitchen, Lucy taught Wyatt a few simple songs on the piano. She hadn't played since she was a teenager, but Wyatt didn't mind that she was rusty…he marveled at the way her fingers danced gracefully over the keys…not just because he was impressed with the range of her talent, but also because this was Lucy Preston and her clumsiness had given her quite the reputation. Seeing a side of Lucy that had nothing to do with time travel, history, or any of the other things that reminded them of their past two years of hellish work, only made him love her more than he already did. He had seen her at her lowest…hell, from the moment they met she had been wound so tight he thought she would snap in two…but even so, he would catch glimpses of a strength within her that amazed him…and now with their troubles gone, but not quite forgotten, he felt like he was seeing the real Lucy Preston for the very first time.
She was happy…naturally so. In the mornings, she was usually up before him, singing as she made coffee and taking in the sunrise…which given their view, would make anybody smile. He was always an early riser, military training and a hard childhood had made him that way. Lucy, he had always assumed, was more or less the opposite. Because of their time in the bunker together, Wyatt had known that Lucy was usually holed up in her room until well after everyone else had eaten breakfast…unless, of course, they had a mission. Now, he realized with a pang that she had probably done that by design – to avoid the pain of seeing him with Jessica at meal times. It seemed so obvious now, and as much as he hated himself for almost screwing this up because of his sense of obligation to a woman he was no longer in love with, (Rittenhouse or not), he felt doubly blessed that the woman he was in love with, loved him well enough to forgive him.
And hell, did she ever have a lot to forgive.
While they both agreed that rehashing old wounds and painful memories wouldn't change the past or the way they felt about each other, Wyatt insisted on discussing everything with Lucy…how he had been in love with her for so long, but how his own guilt and insecurities had kept him from admitting it. Lucy, also admitted that when she learned that Jessica was back, she immediately pushed Wyatt away because she couldn't bear to hear him tell her he was choosing Jessica. The crux being that Wyatt had wanted to choose Lucy, but her insistence that he work things out with his newly undead wife and his own feelings of guilt and obligation, convinced him that he was doing the right thing, even when he felt that is was wrong. That conversation, painful, but necessary, had them both lamenting that if they had been as candid then as they were being now, Jessica and Rittenhouse would have never come between them.
Of course, it was difficult to be so candid and honest when living in a small space with four or five other people.
Interruptions in the bunker could and did happen at almost every moment. If it wasn't the Mothership jumping through time, causing them all to race through history, someone would inevitably barge into a room in the middle of their conversation and that, the constant fear of eavesdropping and disruptions, made for a very difficult setting to talk about something as serious as their floundering relationship. Here, though, in a secluded cabin in the mountains they could talk as much as they wanted, wherever they wanted, and both of them acknowledged that that, more than anything else, was one of the best reasons why this was so much better than staying at some big resort.
While it would have been nice to have housekeeping services and room service, the domesticity of their current situation was deliciously cozy. Shopping for groceries together, cooking over the stove together, living together like this gave them both a glimpse of what their life together outside of the bunker could be. Instead of freezing in the underground rust bucket that had been their home, they could now curl up on a large, comfortable couch beside a roaring fire and watch the sunset. Instead of spending all of their evenings fighting over who got to pick the next Netflix movie, now they could venture into town and enjoy some nightlife, before heading back to their cabin and enjoying each other. On miserable, cold and rainy days they would lounge around and play board games or Wyatt would leave Lucy to her reading as he ventured out and braved the weather to pick up a few things from town.
It was on one such day, a little over a week into their stay, that Wyatt left Lucy to go gather a few things at the market for dinner. It had been pouring rain when he left, but as he turned on the road that would bring him back to their cabin, the setting sun peeked out from behind the clouds and streaked the sky with purple, pink and orange hues. Wyatt marveled at the sight, it had been so long since any of them had been able to enjoy something as simple as the sunset on a daily basis, but this one was spectacular. As he opened the door to the cabin, he paused at the sight in front of him, too blown away by the beauty of the moment to move or even breathe. Lucy was wrapped up in a large blanket, curled in her arm chair, reading a book next to a dying fire. The sunset that he had seen outside was painting the entire room in a tapestry of color and if that weren't enough to make this entire moment absolute perfection, the aroma of freshly baked cookies filled the cabin and Wyatt had never felt more at home in his life.
Seeing him enter, Lucy leapt up from her chair and raced into the kitchen, proudly displaying a batch of cookies she had made in his absence. Her hair was pulled back into a messy bun, with wisps of hair falling loosely around her face that was dusted with flour.
And Wyatt thought she had never looked more beautiful.
"I didn't burn a single one, Wyatt." she exclaimed proudly. Ididn't burn ONE!" As if to drive home the point, she picked up a cookie and handed it over to him to taste.
Obliging her, he took a bite, smiling broadly at the look of expectation on Lucy's face.
"Well?" she asked when Wyatt had finished.
"Perfect." he admitted with a grin that suddenly turned serious.
Wyatt wasn't just thinking about the cookies…he was thinking about Lucy, about them, about their entire time together and suddenly he couldn't help himself. Wrapping her up in his arms, he pulled Lucy in for a kiss. His hands drifted up her back and into her hair, pressing her closer to him until he could feel her heart beating against his own. Drinking her in until his lungs burned for air, he pulled away slowly nudging his nose against hers as he murmured, "Marry me."
Lucy giggled, "They were that good, huh?"
Wyatt didn't laugh, however. Instead, he bent his forehead down to meet hers and repeated earnestly, "Marry me. Please."
"You're…you're being serious." Lucy uttered in astonishment.
"Absolutely." He had not intended on proposing…not for a little while anyway…but that was just it. He knew he wanted to marry Lucy…hell, he knew the moment he kissed her in front of Bonnie and Clyde that she had rocked him to his core, but like a fool he had played it off and acted like it didn't mean anything. It had meant everything and he had almost lost this…lost her…because he had been too damn stubborn to admit it. Now, even after just such a short time together he was hit with the overwhelming urge to choose Lucy in every sense of the word and he didn't want to wait any longer. "Lucy, I know this is fast, but you said yourself in that church in North Korea that we've wasted so much time…and you're right. I know there is no one else that I want to spend my life with, so why wait?"
Lucy stared back at him in shock and disbelief…hardly daring to believe what she was hearing. They had been together for all of one week and Wyatt was…proposing. On the surface, it sounded crazy…but really…was it? She had been in love with him for well over a year and he…well, he had felt the same. She had lived without him for six weeks, had thought he had died…and in those hellish weeks that followed, she had wanted to die too.
No, this wasn't crazy.
They had lived together for almost a year, worked closely together for more than two years…they knew each other better than anyone else and neither could imagine living without the other. This past week with Wyatt had been more than anything she had ever dreamed it could be and she wanted this…always. Wyatt was right…if they both knew this is what they wanted, then why should they wait?
"Okay" Lucy said as a wide smile graced her lips. "Let's do it."
"You're what!?" Rufus' voice exclaimed over the phone.
"We're getting married!" Lucy responded happily as Wyatt held the phone out away from them so they could both tell Rufus the good news. They had driven into town with the express purpose to make that phone call, since service up on the mountain wasn't the best.
"Like right now? Or a year or so down the line?" Rufus asked.
"Well, that's where you come in buddy…" Wyatt answered with an impish look towards Lucy.
It had taken only a bit of planning, but since the state of Nevada was known to be a haven for elopements, Wyatt and Lucy had very little problem securing a license and a venue. Not wanting a cheesy, Las Vegas type wedding, despite the rush, they were able to secure beautiful place with sweeping views of the valley and the Lake. Jiya and Rufus arrived a few days later, so that Jiya could go with Lucy to find the perfect wedding dress for the occasion while Rufus went with Wyatt to find a ring.
Lucy had never really been the kind of girl to plan her own wedding. She was a romantic at heart, but had always been so focused on her career and pleasing her mother, she never really took the time to imagine what her wedding would be like. Even when she had walked into a timeline engaged to Noah, she noted that her other self had made no plans, as far as she could tell, regarding venues, flowers or dresses. Never thinking of herself as "beautiful" the idea of being made the center of attention, made her feel more nervous and insecure about what she should pick. She knew Wyatt wouldn't care one way or the other, but because it was Wyatt and because she wanted to make everything perfect, if not for her, but for him, she was grateful to have Jiya along to help her navigate the many dresses that were now on display before her.
"Okay, Lucy…what are we looking for? Fairy princess or simple and elegant?" Jiya asked as she worked her way around the room, taking in their options.
"Definitely not fairy princess." Lucy muttered. "I've had enough of wearing those kinds of layers to last a lifetime" she said as she nodded towards a very large, ball gown dress.
"Okay…simple and elegant it is." Jiya's eyes were narrowed in concentration, pulling out dresses here and there, each one beautiful, but all of them far too busy and frilly for Lucy's liking. Lucy was just about to give up, when her eyes fell on a dress that was plain, but absolutely stunning in its elegance and simplicity. She pulled it out to admire it when Jiya whistled, "That is gorgeous…buy it, Lucy…that's the one."
Not so easily swayed, Lucy informed Jiya that she would have to try it on first, but the moment she slipped the dress over her head and saw herself in the mirror, she knew that this was the dress she was going to get married in. Stepping out into the main room, Lucy positively beamed at Jiya's reaction, trusting her excitement to mean, that this was indeed, a winner.
As if being completely blown away by Wyatt's out of the blue proposal wasn't enough, when the day of the wedding came, she found that he had a few more surprises up his sleeve. Neither of them had any family left that they would claim, so Lucy was content to have a very intimate ceremony with just Rufus and Jiya as witnesses. When she came down for the ceremony, however, Jiya had to admonish her for messing up her make up when the sight of Connor Mason waiting to give her away made her cry tears of joy. Agent Christopher was also there with her family, her children serving as ring bearers for the ceremony…and it had all been Wyatt's doing.
If she hadn't loved him so completely already, she absolutely adored him now. The expression on his face when she marched down the small aisle was one she would never forget. She was grateful to have Connor Mason's arm to keep her from floating away completely. Wyatt was in awe of her and looked at her with so much love and adoration she could hardly believe that this was her life. After everything they had gone through together, all that they had suffered through, this was their moment to finally be happy. No longer did she feel threatened by the ghost that was Jessica…whatever she was once to him, made no difference anymore. Wyatt had wanted to choose Lucy and now he had…and nothing could ever take that away.
"Lucy?" Wyatt's voiced called from somewhere above her. "I think you need to go to the doctor."
She was resting her head against the cool porcelain of the toilet bowl, cursing whichever take out restaurant had given her such an awful case of food poisoning. They had been living in between places since coming back from their month-long retreat in the mountains. That had been almost six months ago, but coming back to reality they were faced with the daunting task of sorting through the rest of her mother's possessions and getting her old family home ready to sell.
The first few weeks, they had stayed there…but the reminders of Amy and her mother were too much for Lucy to bear, and Wyatt, seeing how it affected her, got them a small apartment close by so that they could close the door on one chapter of their life in order to make way for a new one. Her mother's home had only been on the market for a few days when Lucy got violently ill.
"It's just food poisoning." Lucy groaned. "They won't be able to do anything for me."
"Lucy," Wyatt knelt down next to her offering her a cool wash cloth, "You haven't been able to keep anything down for two days. You're going to get dehydrated. Please, just go to the doctor before you wind up in the hospital."
Wyatt was right. Apart from a few sips of water, Lucy hadn't been able to keep anything down. She thought that she had won a victory this morning when she managed to actually eat a few crackers, but that had been short-lived. It had been those damned saltines that had had her rushing into the bathroom and in her current state sprawled on the floor. Hating needles, blood…really anything to do with emergency room situations, she reluctantly offered him a weak nod of her head as she allowed him to help her up off the floor.
Wyatt sat next to her in the exam room, cradling her in his arms as she fell against him, too sick and too exhausted to even sit up on her own. Despite her protestations about needles, the doctor insisted on doing some blood work, to find out if she was fighting off a really bad bug, had a bout of food poisoning or if there was something else at work.
It was the way he said something else that made Lucy's nerves stand on end. What else could be wrong with her? She was positive it had been food poisoning – there had been listeria outbreaks all over the place during the past month and though she hadn't thought she consumed any of the offending foods, the timing of her sickness seemed to match the outbreaks being seen all over the Bay Area. Yet the doctor, when she had mentioned that as a possibility, looked highly doubtful and instead went on to ask her if she had been taking any vitamin supplements.
"Hey…" Wyatt murmured in her hair, "it's gonna be okay." She wasn't sure if he was saying that more for her benefit or for his, but the fact that Wyatt could sense her agitation made her grip onto him tighter.
"Wyatt…what if it's something serious? With all the time traveling…what if…"
"Shhhh.." he hushed her, "don't say that Lucy. It's just a bad bug, that's all."
It felt like an eternity before the doctor finally appeared again, chart in hand, looking thoughtful. "What's the diagnosis, doc?" Wyatt asked as he swallowed hard, "Has she got a bug?"
"Something like that." the doctor said with a smile as he continued to make a few notes on his chart.
Wyatt and Lucy both breathed out a collective sigh of relief. She had a common bug, she kicked herself for allowing herself to get so worked up. This is why she hated coming to the doctor's office, it sent her imagination into overdrive. "I told you we didn't have to rush in here." Lucy admonished Wyatt weakly, "They can't do anything for me."
"Well, I don't know about that. You are a bit dehydrated and that's definitely something we need to keep an eye on." Wyatt nudged Lucy meaningfully in the arm, as the doctor grinned and continued on, handing them a few pamphlets and a prescription as he did so, "The only other recommendation I have for you right now is that you want to begin taking some pre-natal vitamins right away, I've also written you out a script for some anti-nausea pills, that should help settle things down until you get further along."
Wyatt and Lucy stared back at him blankly. "Fur…futher along with what?" Lucy finally asked as Wyatt looked down at the pamphlet in his hand.
"Congratulations, you two are going to have a baby."
"Twins?" Wyatt breathed out as he sank into a chair next to the ultrasound machine.
"That's right." the tech announced, "both girls."
Grasping Lucy's hand in his, he brought her fingers up to his lips and kissed them hardly daring to believe that this was truly happening. Both of them had lost so much, without each other, they had been essentially alone. Now, here they were happily married and about to become parents to not one, but two girls. Lucy wiped away the tears with her free hand as she watched the images on the ultrasound screen squirm and wriggle in front of them. "How…how are they doing?" Lucy asked in a breathless whisper.
"Both are doing just fine." The tech answered with a smile. "very healthy."
Wyatt tightened his grip on Lucy's hand, needing her to anchor him to this moment when he felt like at any second he might wake up from this dream. He had never thought he would ever be a father, his own having been the worst type of role model imaginable. When Jessica had told him she was pregnant, it had at once broken his heart for what that meant for him and Lucy and yet made him feel an awful sense of responsibility and pride to Jessica and to their unborn child. Though he had never imagined himself to be a father, Jessica had always wanted a son…well, his Jessica had…and so with her announcement, he felt like he had finally given her what she had wanted…and fulfilled a promise made so long ago.
But then that turned out to be a lie and Wyatt couldn't help but think it had served him right.
He had left Lucy without so much as a word, knowing that Rittenhouse was behind Jessica's return and yet he had allowed himself to be blinded by guilt and obligation. To have the hope of a child, even if he no longer cared for the mother, ripped away from him, had been a cruel blow…but not one he felt was totally undeserved.
Fate, it seemed, was not on his side. He was doomed to live a life filled with regret and misery.
Yet once again, when he was standing at the brink of utter despair, Lucy Preston reached out and saved his life.
He had no idea what he had done to deserve her, to deserve any of this…but somehow, he had. Despite everything, she loved him, had forgiven him, and then amazingly, agreed to marry him.
That day had been the happiest of his life. She had looked so beautiful walking down the aisle he was sure he had forgotten how to breathe. He couldn't believe he was marrying her so soon after he thought he had lost her forever; to know that she had loved and trusted him enough after all of that mess to agree to be his wife had made him feel like the luckiest man alive.
Now as he looked at the tiny screen capturing the images of their two little girls, he couldn't help but let out a few tears of gratitude that he, Wyatt Logan, not only had a wife he adored, but now he had an actual family of his very own.
The technician smiled at the two of them, both overcome with emotion at the sight of their two unborn daughters. Handing them a black and white photo she remarked, "You two are going to make great parents…I can tell."
Grateful for the vote of confidence, Wyatt could only nod. They both wanted a family. It was something that the two of them talked about right away, especially since they were dead set on making up for lost time. Wyatt had no family except Lucy…and Lucy, while she had lost her mother and her sister, still had her father, though she wanted nothing to do with him or anybody else from Rittenhouse. Knowing this, knowing the disillusionment they had both felt within their own families, creating one of their own gave them a sense of purpose…a chance for normalcy that had escaped both of them somewhere along the way.
It didn't matter that Wyatt's father was a world class sonofabitch or that Lucy's family was chock full of elitist dicks…what did matter was that they weren't defined by any of that and they would make damn sure their children weren't either.
"Do you have any names picked out?" the tech asked as she handed wiped away the gel from Lucy's exposed stomach.
Lucy and Wyatt looked at one another and smiled knowingly. When they had received the news that they were expecting, there wasn't a question in either of their minds what they would name their child if it was a girl. Similarly, the name they both decided on for a boy came easily…but now as they were faced with the prospect of two girls, Lucy looked at Wyatt for silent confirmation to what she already knew. They would use both.
Smiling broadly at the ultrasound technician, Lucy and Wyatt both answered, "Amy and Flynn."
"Flynn? that's an unusual name for a girl…" the tech mused, "must be named for someone special, huh?"
"Yes." they both answered without hesitation. "They both are."
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Lucy asked as Wyatt carefully tightened the harness around little Amy's tiny body, securing her in her car seat.
He looked up at Lucy with a smirk as he responded, "You always trusted me with yours, ma'am"
Lucy bopped him on the head with her discharge papers, "Stop calling me ma'am." She watched him as he finished with Amy and moved onto Flynn, hardly believing that the hospital trusted them enough to take them home. Lucy voiced her fears as Wyatt stood up, admiring his handiwork, "Wyatt, I don't know the first thing about babies…I mean, I know we've read the books…but what if…"
"Lucy," Wyatt began as he pressed a kiss to her forehead, "it's going to be fine. We're doing this together. We've taken every class, we've read every book…and if we still come up short, we can always call on Rufus and Jiya."
"Or me." Agent Christopher's voice piped up as she entered the room, laden with balloons and stuffed animals. "I've already told Lucy…I better be the first person you call when you need a hand." She narrowed her eyes at Wyatt as he rolled his eyes at her, "I don't care what other people in the office have to say about that, Wyatt. It's an order."
"Yes, ma'am" he responded with a grateful smile. Working with Agent Christopher at Homeland was most definitely a step up from being shipped off to God knows where with Delta Force. He was appreciative for the training he received and for his time spent in the military…hell, without it, he would have never met Lucy…but now that he was happily married and a father, he was more than ready to trade in deployments for local field work.
The fact this his boss also viewed him and Lucy as her own children? Definite bonus. Other people in the office might have noted the favoritism, but Wyatt never gave them any reason to believe it wasn't undeserved. He was one of the best agents they had and as such, his reputation far overshadowed any rumors of special treatment.
Once satisfied after checking and double checking the harnesses on the twins, Agent Christopher helped them get situated in the car, wished Lucy good-bye and reminded her that she was just a phone call away should she need anything. Before leaving, however, she turned to Wyatt and the two of them, from what Lucy could see, had a very engrossing conversation before Agent Christopher offered Wyatt a warm hug and sent him on his way.
"What was that about?" Lucy asked as she stifled a yawn, already prepared to take a nap the minute they got home.
"Nothing…she just wanted to let me know that our meals are taken care of for the next week or so. We won't have anything to do when we get home but focus on these two." Wyatt whispered as he placed the key in the ignition.
Lucy nodded nervously, still terrified at the idea that they would be wholly responsible for the two precious lives currently napping in the back of the car. At every red light, Lucy flinched, obsessively turning back in her seat to check that the twins were still secure in their seats. Wyatt inwardly laughed at her for being so nervous, but if he were being completely honest with himself, he was a nervous wreck too.
After the third red light, Lucy called him on it. "You can smirk at me all you want, but don't think I didn't see you last night staring at them while they slept. You're just as nervous as I am…admit it."
"Alright…I will." He turned to her with a serious expression, though Lucy could see there was a hint of a smile on his face, "I'm nervous, Lucy…no…scratch that, I'm terrified.…but if you think I'm going to let two 7lb babies intimidate me, you've got another thing coming. We faced down Al Capone, dammit…we can do this." Wyatt maintained as he kissed her hand.
"They are kind of intimidating, though, aren't they?" Lucy whispered as she peered behind them, looking the two car seats sitting side by side in the back seat.
"Well, they get it honestly." Wyatt quipped as he made a turn onto the Interstate. "Their mother is about the most intimidating person I know."
"Ha ha." Lucy deadpanned. "Very funny, Wyatt. I didn't believe that pick up line then, and I don't believe it now."
"Believe it, Lucy…you think I called you ma'am just to be cute? "He shook his head, "Hell no, you are the one who rejected THE Ian Fleming, after all. If you wouldn't give James Bond the time of day, how do you think I felt about my chances?"
Lucy rolled her eyes at him playfully and reached for his hand, "Well aren't you glad you took that chance?"
"Hell, yes." Wyatt murmured as he pressed her hand to his lips again.
Suddenly straightening up in her seat Lucy looked out of the window in confusion, "Wyatt," she moaned, "you missed the exit."
Smiling broadly, Wyatt continued driving, ignoring Lucy's attempts to get him back on the right route. She was just getting irritated when he pulled up in front of a large, beautiful, two story home, that looked like something out of a fairy tale. "Wyatt…what…what are we doing here?"
"We're home." Wyatt said simply, trying but failing to hide the devilish smirk on his face.
She turned to him sharply, "Wyatt Logan, you told me this house was sold."
"And it was." He said simply. "We bought it." Lucy's mouth dropped open in surprise as Wyatt opened his car door and tossed her the keys. "Do you have any idea how hard it was keeping this thing a secret?" he called out as he pulled the car seats out of the back. "Good thing you went into labor when you did or I think I would have folded under the pressure…for weeks I have been going nuts fielding phone calls at work, pretending to go see other houses, intercepting all the paperwork for this one… which reminds me, you have a couple hundred things to sign."
Lucy slowly got out of the car and looked in utter amazement at what was now her new home with her new family. The moment she had seen this house, she had fallen in love with it. It had everything they were looking for and more; plenty of bedrooms, a nice sized yard, safe neighborhood, and just about every room had built in bookshelves. It was almost as if it had been built just for them. The best part was that it was not only close to Wyatt's field office but it was also within walking distance of the college where Lucy had been offered a professorship.
It had been perfect.
Wyatt and Lucy had jumped at the chance to go see it, but so had everyone else in town. Wyatt had promised her that he would put in an offer right away, flat out rejecting Lucy's suggestion that she handle the house buying process, telling her that she had enough on her plate, what with sorting through her mother's possession, her pre-natal appointments, heartburn, nausea, and terrible back aches. The last thing she needed, Wyatt told her, was something else to stress about.
Despite trusting Wyatt to handle the process, she nagged him incessantly for news until one day he had come home to their tiny cramped, apartment, laden with flowers, telling her that he was very sorry but the house she had had her heart set on, was sold. She had been devastated, but never one to mope, she immediately began looking up alternatives, desperate for them to find a place of their own before the babies arrived.
Nesting, the baby books had called it.
Lucy called BS on that. Anybody else in her position, she argued, would be doing the same thing.
And how many viewings had they gone to? How many houses did Wyatt walk through with her acting like he was interested when all the while he had already bought them the house of her dreams?
She didn't know whether to be more impressed or more annoyed by his unparalleled ability to keep a secret. What she did know, was that she loved him for it.
Tears welled in her eyes as he stood next to her gripping both car seats and looking up at their new home. "Thank you, Wyatt…this…this is the best thing anybody has ever done for me."
He set down their sleeping twins and wrapped her up in a tight embrace, "Well, baby doll," he said as he pressed a kiss to her lips, "you're the best thing to ever happen to me….so now we're even."
Lucy nodded at him proudly, watching as he gently lifted the car seats again, taking extra care not to jostle them too much and wake their sleeping daughters. As they made their way to the front door, Lucy knew that Wyatt was right, whatever life had in store for them, they would face it, together. They had gone through so much turmoil and strife to find one another and now?
Now they were finally home.